GEISHA, the name of the professional dancing and singing girls of Japan (a Sino-Japanese word meaning "person of pleas ing accomplishments"). The training of the true Geisha or sing ing girl, which includes lessons in dancing, begins often as early as her seventh year. Her apprenticeship over, she contracts with her employer for a number of years, and is seldom able to reach independence except by marriage. There is a capitation fee of two yen per month on the actual singing girls, and of one yen on the apprentices.
See Jukichi Inouye, Sketches of Tokyo Life; Sir Ian Hamilton, Staff Officer's Scrapbook.